OVERVIEW: This unit on heat allows students to observe how heat is produced, how insulation works, and how to measure temperature differences. STANDARDS ADDRESSED IN THIS UNIT Focus Standards: S3P1. Students will investigate how heat is produced and the effects of heating and cooling, and will understand a change in temperature indicates a change in heat. a. Categorize ways to produce heat energy such as burning, rubbing (friction), and mixing one thing with another. b. Investigates how insulation affects heating and cooling. c. Investigates the transfer of heat energy from the sun to various materials. d. Use thermometers to measure the changes in temperatures of water samples (hot, warm, cold) over time Supporting Standards: S3CS1. Students will be aware of the importance of curiosity, honesty, openness, and skepticism in science and will exhibit these traits in their own efforts to understand how the world works. a. Keep records of investigations and observations and do not alter the records later. b. Offer reasons for findings and consider reasons suggested by others. c. Take responsibility for understanding the importance of being safety conscious. S3CS2. Students will have the computation and estimation skills necessary for analyzing data and following scientific explanations. c. Judge whether measurements and computations of quantities, such as length, weight, or time, are reasonable answers to scientific problems by comparing them to typical values. S3CS3. Students will use tools and instruments for observing, measuring, and manipulating objects in scientific activities utilizing safe laboratory procedures. a. Choose appropriate common materials for making simple mechanical constructions and repairing things. c. Identify and practice accepted safety procedures in manipulating science materials and equipment. S3CS4. Students will use ideas of system, model, change, and scale in exploring scientific and technological matters. a. Observe and describe how parts influence one another in things with many parts. b. Use geometric figures, number sequences, graphs, diagrams, sketches, number lines, maps, and stories to represent corresponding features of objects, events, and processes in the real world. c. Identify ways in which the representations do not match their original counterparts. S3CS5. Students will communicate scientific ideas and activities clearly. a. Write instructions that others can follow in carrying out a scientific procedure. b. Make sketches to aid in explaining scientific procedures or ideas. c. Use numerical data in describing and comparing objects and events. S3CS7. Students will be familiar with the character of scientific knowledge and how it is achieved. Students will recognize that: a. Similar scientific investigations seldom produce exactly the same results, which may differ due to unexpected differences in whatever is being investigated, unrecognized differences in the methods or circumstances of the investigation, or observable uncertainties. b. Some scientific knowledge is very old and yet is still applicable today TEMPERATURE: How Do Gloves Keep Your Hands Warm? Viewing the pictures, the children asked, “Why do the people in the Arctic wear such strange clothes? To help the primary students understand the importance of clothing of the people from other regions of the world, I conducted some experiments that would help them understand. Science Objectives: Provide evidence showing that the sun is the source of heat and light for Earth. Math Objectives: Measuring Temperature Life Skills: Thinking & Reasoning Time Frame: 1 class period that runs 45 minutes. Group Size: Small Groups Summary: Students will identify and discuss the misconception about heat sources, (specifically that clothes do not produce heat). Materials: For the teacher: Mittens or gloves Other winter clothing, such as hat and coat For each group: Thermometer Mitten or glove Science journals or pencil and paper Background for Teachers: The temperature of an object is a measurement of much heat the object has. Thermometers can give us help in discussing and correcting the misconceptions many children have regarding the transfer of heat. Some think that gloves have the capability to transfer heat into the hands. Having students observe the temperature before and after they put gloves on their hands helps dispel this misconception and teaches them that heat from their hands is trapped by the gloves to cause temperature changes. Intended Learning Outcomes: Observe simple objects and report their observations. Conduct a simple investigation when given directions. Use instruments to measure temperature. Pose questions about objects, events, and processes. Record data accurately. Instructional Procedures: Step 1. Start with a whole group format. Remark on how cold it is and how nice it might be to warm up a little. Discuss the clothing that might be used for cold weather. As different items are mentioned, either put them on a student, or dress yourself (hat, gloves, coat, etc.) Be sure that mittens or gloves are part of the items used. When completed, mention how warm you feel, stating something like "Wow, these hot clothes are making me really sweat." "Warm" and hot" are the key words. Remove the clothing, with a comment such as "How do clothes do it?" Step 2. Ask the class to raise their hands if they think that the gloves made the hands warm. Then write the statement, "Mittens, (or gloves) keep my hands warm." Ask students, "Is there heat in the mitten?" Note how many believe this to be the case. Then tell students that today they will be using thermometers to find out if there is heat in the mitten. Step 3. Divide the glass into groups with each group having a thermometer, glove or mitten and materials for recording their observations. Have the students lay their thermometers on the desk for a few minutes and then record the temperature in the classroom. Next have them put their thermometer inside the mitten and leave it for a couple of minutes to see if there is a difference from the room temperature. (The results should be no change in recorded temperature.) Have each group record their findings in their journals. Step 4. Discuss these findings with the students. Was there a difference in the room temperature and the temperature inside the mitten? They should have just observed that there is no change in temperature. What is their conclusion now? If there were heat in the mitten, shouldn't the temperature inside have been higher? Because the temperature didn't change, there is no heat in the mitten. What might be another reason for the fact that our hands are warmer in mittens? Have each group record their answer to this question. Step 5. Ask the students to put the thermometer inside the mitten, leave it for a few minutes, and record the temperature inside the mitten again.(Its important to note that there are not any changes.) Now, leaving the thermometer in the mitten, have a member of the group put the mitten on their hand. Leave the hand and thermometer inside the mitten for a few minutes. Record the temperature in their journals. What were the results? Did the temperature change? Can they draw a conclusion from their results? Where did the heat come from? (The heat is in the body, not in the mitten.) What part did the mitten play in this observation? (The mitten acted as a "heat trap" that kept the heat from the body from escaping into the cooler air.) Step 6. Bring students back together. Is there a better way to state the original sentence? Help students change the original statement, "Mittens keep my hands warm" to a more accurate observation, such as "Mittens trap heat escaping from my hands to keep me warm." Have the group discuss why it seems confusing that putting more clothes on would create more heat. Would a person become warmer the more layers they had on? Why does this occur? (Clothing traps heat escaping from their bodies.) Be sure students understand that the heat comes from the body itself. If there are still those who seem confused, encourage them to take the thermometer and hold it in their hand to take their temperature. Extensions: Students could continue investigations with temperature and clothing. Pose the question, "Will the results be the same if we use a hat? What about the coat?" Groups could use the same investigations on different articles of clothing. Is more heat given off by different areas of the body? Does the head lose more heat than the hands? Compare temperatures and find out. Assessment Plan: Have students fold a piece of paper in half. Label one side "Warm" and one side "Cold." Have students draw an outlined picture of a body on each side. On the "warm" side, have them illustrate clothing that warm hands, head and feet. On the other side, have them illustrate clothing, if any that would be "cold" on hands, head and feet. At the bottom of the page, have them complete this sentence. "Clothes (do, do not) produce heat. They help ___________heat." (Trap, capture, hold, contain, etc.) Another experiment I conducted was working with students on a project another STEM teacher had told us about. With my ELL students it tied in perfectly with our curriculum. Is it hot? Is it cold? I added the story via the active white Smartboard, to tie in literacy. Step 1. Read the story, “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”. Ask “Wonder” questions. Step 2. Introduce how we find real time weather using the Internet. Step 3. Comparing the temperature of three places: Alaska, Georgia, and Mexico. We placed them in order from coldest to hottest and hottest to coldest. Step 4. (Lesson taken from a NSTA publication). We did experiments testing why the oatmeal was different temperatures in the different bowls. Conclusion: One student came up that the bowls could have been made of different materials: metal, glass, plastic. One student came up with “Papa bear’s bowl with the most should have been the hottest, mama bear’s bowl with the middle amount should have been just right, and baby bear’s with the least should have been too cold!” One student came up with a new science experiment using this book. “Why did baby bear’s chair break? How much weight can something hold?” I think this proves the more we involve students with science projects the more wondering they do about the world in which we live in. I would recommend this activity for showing temperature changes to primary children. (See attached video made April 29, 2010 and April 30, 2010). The students featured in the video were “Early Childhood Generalist” age appropriate consisting of 19 third graders (5- seven year olds, 12- eight year olds, and 2- nine year olds) who are (ELL) English Language Learners in the Challenge/Bridges Program. Getting minority students involved in integrated STEM curriculum by integrating technology, mathematics, science, and literacy state standards was used. I used a variety of groups, integrating state standards with motivational, wonder, active, technology, and hands-on activities that made learning relevant to my English Language Learner students as well as my other two learners. From a pre-assessment I found the misconceptions my students had were the same as in the unit: Heat energy is transferred in many different ways. Heat and temperature are the same thing. Heat energy can be lost. Insulators make things hot or cold. Heat is generated from materials such as wool. Proper conceptions student made: Heat is the amount of thermal energy in an item. Temperature is a measure of thermal energy. Heat energy is transferred between objects. Insulators slow the transfer of heat energy between objects. Materials such as wool are insulators not heat generators. The enduring understandings that were addressed: Energy is produced in different ways; Insulation affects heating and cooling; the transfer of heat energy from the sun differs according to the materials; Thermometers are used to measure temperature changes over time; some materials conduct heat energy much better than others; Sun is the original source of heat energy. The essential questions that were considered were: How does temperature affect the states of matter? What causes objects to change temperature? What can we do to keep an object’s temperature constant? What’s the difference between heat and temperature? How is heat transferred? How is heat energy produced? Why is temperature important in our lives? Why do scientists use thermometers? Why do some materials conduct heat better than others? Why is using insulation important when heating and cooling? How do various materials affect the transfer of heat energy from the sun? To relate the heat concept to my ELL learners, I tied it with a familiar fairy tale, “Goldilocks and The Three Bears.” My goals for the lessons were learning to design a measurable question, accurately read a thermometer, and making a connection between the temperature reading and amount of heat energy present in the bowl of porridge. By thinking critically, students learn to reason from evidence. To assess students’ learning, I used a rubric which is designed to provide constructive comments and/or questions on student’s progress from Beginning Scientist, Developing Scientist, and Accomplished Scientist. I always offer them ideas on how to improve understanding of scientific investigation. The instruction is important for these students because it is part of their state mandated curriculum on their curriculum map, pacing guide, teaching the standards before state mandated test, integrating math, science, engineering, reading, writing, and technology to real-life situations to make connections and learning meaningful. Students at this level can record their data in a chart however, scaffolding was necessary to guide their data tables into graphs that we can analyzed as a group. Using real data helps students knowing which graph – line graph or bar graph would work best. We used the information illustrated in the graphs to analyze trends and patterns in data. All students participated in all activities. My students live within one mile of the school and 100% are on free and reduced lunch. 90% of our school’s population is Hispanics with Spanish as the first language spoken in their home. Since the ELL students are in different reading levels, I try to do group integration with math, science, technology, and literacy as much as possible to make the standards relevant to real-world situations. I use a variety of group settings throughout my lessons. Individual tic-tack-toe choice boards were used for students to select different individual projects to complete with a rubric attached so the students knew in advance what was expected by the end of the unit. In my classroom, I made sure that every child succeeds and feels a sense of pride with their completed work. Having high expectations helps control behavior issues because my students respect each other. The students are eager to learn and take on new experiences because they realize they are in a safe and caring environment. In the story Goldilocks finds three bowls of porridge at different temperatures in the three bears’ house, she accurately assesses the situation and comes up with one of the most recognizable lines in children’s literature, “This porridge is too hot; this porridge is too cold; aahh, this porridge is just right!” Goldilocks’ famous line is a perfect lead-in for an inquiry science lesson where my students explore the concept of heat energy as measured by temperature. In the investigation students consider the variables that might account for temperature differences between each bear’s porridge. If Papa Bear has the hottest bowl of porridge, does he also have the largest bowl size? It was fun to observe students as they made surprising discoveries and started considering that Papa Bear’s bowl could have been the smallest bowl on the table because a quantity of porridge in a smaller bowl will retain heat energy longer than a large bowl with the same quantity of porridge. During the introduction, I used the SMART interactive board to read, Goldilocks and the Three Bears with emphasis on the porridge section of the story. Next, we discussed students’ observation to see if what they “heard” in the story led them to “wonder” anything. During the wondering, students’ responses varied. Wesley stated, “Goldilocks would go back and apologize to the bears.” David, stated, “She will tell her mother and dad.” I made a mistake by stating Mexico City MX was in the United States. Leslie brought up another experience we could do on Goldilocks breaking the chair. I gave an example of weight on a bridge and suggested we conduct that experiment in the future. Using the internet we researched the temperatures for three places on earth that “The Three Bears” could have lived. Students recorded the temperatures on their weather charts and we discussed why the temperature goes up in a thermometer. All students understood how to look up temperatures from the various locations, how to compare and place temperatures in order from hottest to coldest. I think they connected it to a previous activity where the students pretended to be the liquid mercury in a thermometer and I use a flashlight for the sun rays. The students moved and took up space. Then we pretended it was night time and the temperature “cooled off.” The students came back together again because the liquid mercury took up less space and contract. Students investigated the following two predications: If porridge is put into different size bowls, THEN porridge in the largest bowl will stay hot longest. If the amount of porridge in a bowl is increased, THEN the greater the amount of porridge, the longer it will stay hot. Each group followed the procedures they had established for their experiment and completed their data table. During the investigation experiment all students were engaged and eager to participate in questions and answers. The students’ came up with reasons for the varying porridge temperatures. I asked David about the red stuff in the thermometer when the timer went off. I need to make sure I go back to the student I was working with as soon as I reset the timer. At the end, I asked, “Why is the bowl with more and less oatmeal saying the same temperature?” Tanya stated, “Maybe because it’s in metal, not glass or plastic.” Tanya was discovering that different materials used to hold substances could cause the temperature to change. I stated, “That’s a great prediction or inference.” I need to make sure I am using language that my ELL students know. After the video, each student made a thermometer and we discussed Fahrenheit, and Celsius freezing and boiling points. The students tested their homemade thermometer made out of clay, alcohol, food coloring, and a straw. Next time, I would do these activities before the lesson. Conclusion question, “Would the results be the same if a different type of liquid was used?” This lesson allowed students to observe how heat is produced, how insulation works, and how to measure temperature differences. Methods and materials used were age/grade appropriate. Students were aware of the importance of curiosity, honesty, openness, and skepticism in science and exhibited these traits in their own efforts to understand how the world works. Their faces told the story!